Cathedral school

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The idea for widespread schools dates back to Charlemagne, a king of the Franks. He knew that the Frankish empire would be weak without an education. Because a Frankish King started it, it quickly spread throughout northern and central France. Over time, the schools were fused with the church and became cathedral schools. Cathedral schools arose in some major cities including Chartres, Orleans, Paris, Laon, Leige, Rhiems, Roven and Utrecht. The first cathedral schools taught future clergy, as they were the only people in Frankish society that were required to be literate. Many people wanted to join the clergy because a career in the church was considered a very high rank. Those who were trained in a cathedral school had a good chance of becoming part of the church.

Cathedral schools were mostly oriented around the academic welfare of the noble’s children. Because it was intended to train them for careers in the church, girls were excluded from the schools. Later on, many lay students who weren’t interested in seeking a career in the church wanted to enroll. Demand arose for schools to teach about government, state and other Church affairs. The schools, (some notable ones dating back to the 8th and 9th centuries) accepted fewer than 100 students. The pupils had to have a substantially broad intelligence and be able to meet a demanding academic course. Considering that books were also expensive, students had to memorize teacher’s lectures. The school was primarily run by a group of ministers. The schools were divided into two parts. Schola minor which was intended for younger students would later become elementary schools. Then there was the schola major, which taught older students. These would later become secondary schools.

The subjects taught at Cathedral schools ranged from literature to mathematics. These topics were called the Seven Liberal Arts: grammar, astronomy, rhetoric (or speech), logic, arithmetic, geometry and music. In grammar students were trained to read, write and speak Latin which was the universal language in Europe at the time. Astronomy was necessary for calculating dates and times. Rhetoric was a major component of vocal education. Logic consisted of discovering the art of solving mathematical problems, and arithmetic served as the basis for quantitative reasoning. They read stories and poems in Latin by authors such as Cicero and Virgil. Much like the present day, cathedral schools were split into elementary and higher schools with different curriculums. The elementary school curriculum was composed of reading, writing and psalmody, while the high school curriculum was the trivium (grammar, rhetoric and dialect), the rest of the Seven Liberal Arts, as well as Scripture and pastoral theology.

From some cathedral schools, universities developed. There a few reasons these universities developed. First, when the student population increased and started to grow, students and teachers became dissatisfied with the earlier forms of learning. They formed unions to make changes. These unions later developed into universities. “Univerisitas” in Medieval Latin means cooperation. Another reasons universities developed was because there was a demand for further study. Many students wanted to learn more about certain subjects after higher school. Also, there was a demand for highly educated people. This meant that there had to be a higher institution of learning. Medieval Universities were all headed by a Church official called a Chancellor. Teachers had to be at least 21 years old, and have a vast knowledge on one subject. At the end of the school year, all students had to take a special test. Universities had from 200 to 2,000 students. After many hundreds of years, the legacy of these medieval cathedral schools is still felt in the existence of our modern universities.

Cathedral schools around the world

United Kingdom

Among others:

England

• The seven King's schools established, or re-endowed and renamed, by King Henry VIII in 1541, which are located at Canterbury, Chester, Ely, Gloucester, Peterborough, Rochester and Worcester
• St Paul's Cathedral, London
• Westminster, London
• Bristol Cathedral School, Bristol
• Chelmsford
• Wells Cathedral School
• Hereford Cathedral School
• Salisbury Cathedral School, Salisbury

Wales

• The Cathedral School, Llandaff
• St John's College, Cardiff

United States

Among others:

• Arlington, Virginia - St Thomas More Cathedral School
• Kalamazoo, Michigan - St Augustine Cathedral School
• Raleigh, North Carolina - Cathedral School
• Washington D.C.- National Cathedral School

Australia

• Sydney - St Andrew's
• Sydney - St Mary's

Denmark

• Ribe - Ribe katedralskole.
• Viborg - Viborg katedralskole.
• Katedralskolan, Lund

Pakistan

• Lahore - Cathedral High School, Bangalore

Notes

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See also

• List of choir schools

External links

• Encyclopaedia Britannica article
• A history of cathedral choir schools in England and Scotland
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